Proxy power control
In the 2007 Assembly elections, parties did not trust many women candidates, but the byelections for Rohru and Jawali seats can see two women emerging as strong candidates. Pratibha Singh, former Lok Sabha member and wife of Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh (Congress), and Suhdha Sushant, wife of MP Rajan Sushant (BJP), are geared up to stake claim for Rohru and Jawali tickets, respectively, vacated by their husbands. The talk of the town is that this might set a new example of proxy power control where husbands hold the real power and manage it with a remote control. Earlier, this phenomenon was visible in Panchayati Raj Institutions where more women have come forward due to reservation but the actual power rests with their husbands.

The next Sidhu?
The famous ‘Sidhuisms’ can now see some competition from a Himachal leader. Major Vijai Singh Mankotia has started coming up with one-liners that remind many of Navjot Singh Sidhu. In one of his latest media interactions, he said: “The previous Congress and the current BJP Governments have no karam (deeds), dharam (principles) and sharam (shame). They are like Santa Singh and Banta Singh, one and the same thing.” He also termed Virbhadra Singh as Fanne Khan, a colloquial term for a person who considers himself the ‘ultimate power’. “He considers himself as Fanne Khan, by sending out defamation notices to the media, politicians and even senior cops,” said Mankotia. This awaits a befitting reply from Virbhadra Singh, who is known for his choice of words during a verbal duel.

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